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Daily Dish 12/13/17

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
12/13/2017 03:03:39 PM EST

The author of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling poses after she was made a Companion of Honour during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday Dec. 12, 2017. The Duke of Cambridge conducted the investiture for the honour. (Andrew Matthews/Pool via AP) (Andrew Matthews)

JK Rowling says she's proud to receive royal honor

LONDON (AP) -- Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling can add another magic moment to her list of achievements -- she has been made a royal Companion of Honor.

Rowling received the honor from Prince William on Tuesday at a Buckingham Palace ceremony.

Rowling said she was "deeply honored and proud" to receive the title, which is limited to 65 people "of distinction."

The boy wizard's creator is being honored for services to literature and philanthropy.

She says "to be included in the distinguished and diversely talented company of the other Companions of Honor, especially as a female writer, is a particular privilege.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jimmy Kimmel held his baby son as he returned to his late-night show after a week off for the boy's heart surgery.

Kimmel was crying from the first moment of his monologue Monday night as he pleaded with Congress to restore and improve children's health coverage, a cause he has championed since his son Billy was born with a heart defect in April.

Billy needed one surgery just after his birth and had a follow-up operation last week.

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Kimmel kept up his ardent advocacy Monday night, urging Congress to restore the Children's Health Insurance Program, which has been left unfunded and stuck in a political stalemate since September.

Kimmel said it's "disgusting" that Congress is putting tax cuts for millionaires ahead of the lives of children.

HBO, 'Big Little Lies' lead Globes in TV nods

NEW YORK (AP) -- The actors from HBO's limited series "Big Little Lies" will have quite an internal competition at the Golden Globes next month.

Powerhouse actresses Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are both nominated for best actress for a limited TV series, while colleagues Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Alexander Skarsgard are up for supporting awards. The Globes announced their television nominations on Monday, and the HBO series led the way with six nods.

The Globes offered 32 nominations for programs from cable networks, led by HBO's dozen. Streaming services had 15 nominations, with Netflix on top with nine. The only broadcast networks with nominations were NBC, with five, and ABC, with three.

CBS, the most-watched network on television, was shut out.

While the Fox network also came up empty, its cable cousin FX was second only to HBO among the cable networks with eight nominations.

Reese Witherspoon in "Big Little Lies" was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best actress in a limited series or motion picture made for TV.

They include Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, stars of "Feud: Bette and Joan."

Netflix's "The Crown" and "Stranger Things" are both up for best drama series. HBO's "Game of Thrones" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" are also up for best drama, with NBC's "This is Us" carrying the flag for broadcast television.

"The Good Doctor," ABC's series about an autistic doctor and the biggest new broadcast hit, didn't land in the top five, although lead actor Freddie Highmore will compete for best drama actor.

"Veep" and star Julia Louis-Dreyfus are used to picking up fistfuls of Emmy awards, but they can stay home on Golden Globes night -- one of the most notable snubs in the comedy category.

David Harbour in a scene from "Stranger Things." Harbour is nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor in a series. AP PHOTO

In a retro touch, NBC's reboot of "Will & Grace" was nominated for best comedy or musical, with star Eric McCormack earning a nod for best actor. ABC's "black-ish" and star Anthony Anderson will be among the competition.

Netflix's "Master of None" and Showtime's "Smilf" will also compete for best comedy, along with one relative surprise contender in Amazon's "The Amazing Mrs. Maisel," about a housewife turned comic from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Globe voters may be looking to lift the series from obscurity, since "Maisel" star Rachel Brosnahan was also nominated.

Along with Highmore, best drama actor nominees include Jason Bateman of "Ozark," Sterling K. Brown of "This is Us," Bob Odenkirk of "Better Call Saul" and Liev Schreiber of "Ray Donovan."

New series are emphasized in the best actress category, where the nominees include Caitriona Balfe of "Outlander," Claire Foy of "The Crown," Maggie Gyllenhaal of "The Deuce," Katherine Langford of "13 Reasons Why" and Elisabeth Moss of "The Handmaid's Tale."

Two prominent shows where actors were recently written out due to sexual misconduct allegations -- "House of Cards" (Kevin Spacey) and "Transparent" (Jeffrey Tambor) -- were both shut out of nominations. It's unknown whether the controversy had any impact; the Globes tend to favor new work and both these series are no longer novelties.

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